document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=67828>Question 67828</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Simplify (2x - 3) + (-x-2)\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Please show step-by-step instructions so that my son will see how to get the answer for the future. </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #48226 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=ptaylor><B>ptaylor(2198)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=ptaylor><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=ptaylor><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=48226\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Simplify (2x - 3) + (-x-2)\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Please show step-by-step instructions so that my son will see how to get the answer for the future.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "(2x - 3) + (-x-2)  First, we'll remove the parens.  For this problem, removing the parens is easy since each quantity is, in effect, multiplied by +1---And we have:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "2x-3-x-2 <BR>\n" );
document.write( "Note that plus one times -x=-x and<BR>\n" );
document.write( "+1 times -2=-2\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( " Now we will collect like terms but first we'll get our x's and numbers grouped together and we get:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "2x-x-3-2\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "x-5-----------------answer\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Note:2x-x=x<BR>\n" );
document.write( "     -3-2=-5\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Now, lets change the problem a little:  \r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "(2x-3)-3(-x-2)  Now we clear parens\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "2x-3+3x+6  collect like terms;\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "5x+3\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Note:  When we clear the second set of parens, we are actually doing the following:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "-3 times -x=+3x<BR>\n" );
document.write( "-3 times -2=+6\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "On these types of problems (and in math generally), it's really important that the students have a good grasp of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Also, anytime you have an expression containing parens, the the terms inside the parens are being multiplied by something.  As it turns out, in your problem it was +1 and, many times, when a quantity is multiplied by +1, it is not necessary to show the +1.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Hope this helps------ptaylor\r<BR>\n" );
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